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Avian influenza quarantines end in two North Dakota counties

Avian influenza quarantines end in North Dakota | Courtesy wikimedia.org

North Dakota's State Board of Animal Health recently concluded the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 quarantines that stopped all transfer for poultry and poultry products within LaMoure and Dickey counties.

The counties had been quarantined since the poultry flocks were first discovered to have H5 in April. To contain the virus, state officials restricted the transfer of all poultry and poultry-related products within the control zones of the counties and within a 6-mile radius of the areas with the infection.

Staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) Veterinary Services, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Division, and local extension offices spent significant time inspecting multiple locations within the quarantined zone. They took samples from birds located at 20 different premises for testing.

After two rounds of negative results from avian influenza testing, the regions are no longer under quarantine. The two areas with the original infections are still under quarantine, as the cleanup process is still under way. The entire state of North Dakota has stopped all movement of birds to exhibitions, shows or public sales until further notice.

“We’ve been impressed with the collaboration among agencies in the avian influenza response,” North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner
Doug Goehring said. “The virus is a serious threat to the livelihood of poultry farmers and the poultry industry as a whole. We sympathize with other states that have been dealing with this on a much larger scale.”